Feeler mechanism for looms



Dec. 18 1923. L47$24 I. SNOW FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Dec. 6, 1922 z'sheets-sheet X mmzm l. SNOW FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Dec. 3% 3923.,

Filed Dec. 6, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //\/\/E/\/7"OR.' MM W ATTORVVEY Patented Dec. 18, 1923. I

nit rare ISAAC SNOW, OF 2: ENCE, MASSAQHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LQOM$.

Application filed December a, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC SNow, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanisms for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms.

In that type of feeler mechanisms generally known as side slipping or side swipe, it is now the general practice to provide the feeler with teeth for engaging the filling on a detecting beat, and when the filling is substantially exhausted, the feeler is given a side slipping movement along the filling carrier or bobbinin the direction of its length, and during. such movement the usual teeth nowprovided on feelers of this type are liable to scratch or mar the surface of the filling carrier or bobbin and, in a measure, also to retard the side slipping movement of the feeler.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a side slipping teeler with a filling engaging tip which while efie'ctive to hold the feeler from movement longitudinally of the shuttle when a working supply of filling is present on a detecting beat, will not injuriously afiect the filling carrier or bobbin or retard the side slipping movement of the feeler.

In accordance with the present invention, the side slippingfeeler is provided with a tip, the feeler holding or toothed portion of which normally engages the filling transversely of the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier or bobbin, and when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat and the feeler partakes of its side slipping movement, turns to present the feeler holding or toothed portion of the tip into substantially arallel relation with thelongitudinal axis of the filling carrier or bobbin, the effect being that as the side slipping feeler moves in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, the holding or toothed portion of the tip ofiers no impediment to such movement and does not in uriously scratch or mar the surfaces of the filling carrier or bobbin.

The improvements constituting the present Serial No. 605,167.

view of the tip portion of the feeler and the connection between the feeler tip;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailshowing the engagement of the feeler tip with the filling on the filling carrier or bobbin when a working supply is present on a detecting beat;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section showing the feeler tip engaged with the filling; and

Fig. .5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3 but with the filling substantially exhausted on a detecting beat and the feeler slipping in a direction longitudinally of the filling carrier or bobbin.

Except in the respects to be hereinafter particularized, the feeler mechanism as shown is similar to that illustrated and described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,309,226, dated July 8, 1919; and while the advantages of the present invention are more particularly manifested in connection with the type of side slipping feeler of the above mentioned patent, the invention may be employed advantageously in other forms of side slipping fecler mechanisms.

It has not been deemed necessary herein to show and describe the replenishing mechanism which is set in operation to effect replenislnnent of filling when the feeler partakes of its side slipping movement, because the details of such mechanism form no substantial partof the present invention and are now well understood.

The feeler mechanism is mounted at the front of the loom and, as shown, is adjustably secured by the bolt 1 and slot 2 to a bracket 3 connected to an extension 4; of the ship per stand.

The feeler stand 5 through which the bolt 1 extends is shown as having a bracket 6 in which is swivelled a front bearing 7, and the rear portion of the feeler stand 5 has bearings 8 for a slide 9 which is movable transversely of the feeler stand. The slide 9 has an extension 10 to which is connected the transmitter 11 through which replenishment of filling is initiated.

The rear bearings 8 have a slotted porv tion 12 and the feeler 13 passes through a smaller slot 14 in the'slide9 and into or through the bearing A cap piece 15 is secured to the rear bearings 8 by screws 16 and serves to hold .the slide 9 in its sliding position. The feeler 13 is supported by a bridge 17 and between the bridge and the front bearing 7 is a spring 18 which normally acts to hold the feeler in its rearward or feeling position. All the parts thus far described may be substantially as disclosed in the patent here before mentioned.

The lay 19 has the usual shuttle box 20,

the front Wall of which is provided with an opening 2l for the entrahce of the feeler,

and similarly the shuttle 22 which supports the filling carrier or bobbin 23 in the usual manner has its. front wall provided with an opening 24 which coincides with the opening 21 when the shuttle is in the box at the fecler side of the loom, the construction being such that on a detecting beat the feeler 13 may enter the openings 21' and 24 2 and feel for the filling.

The feeler 13 has its'end portion provided ries a feeler holding or toothed portion 80 40 for engagement with the filling on a detecting beat. In the present instance the fecler holding or toothed portion 30 of the feeler tip is constituted by a single tooth which, on a detecting beat, sinks into the filling, as indicated in Fig. 4, when a working supplg is present in the shuttle.

he pivotal support 28 for the feeler tip connects the feeler tip eccentrically with the feeler, as shown, and the feeler tip itself by reason of the eccentric mounting and the predonderance of weight of the feeler tip at one side of the pivotal spring 28, normally occupies the position indicated: in Figs. 2, 3 and-4, so that when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on at detecting beat, the feeler holding or toothed portion ofthe feeler tip engages the filling transversely of the. longitudinal .axis of the filling carrier or bobbin, Figs. 3 and 4, and sinks into the filling to an appreciable extent. While the present embodiment of the invention shows the feeler tip provided with a single tooth for engaging the filling, it is evident that more than one tooth may be employed if desired.

agwaeee Feeler mechanisms of the side slipping type are given their side slipping movement when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat either by means of the frontward pressureupon the feeler or by some mechanical means, and in accordance with the present invention, the eccentrically pivoted and supported feeler tip by engagement with the filling on a detecting beat prevents such side slipping movement of the feeler when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle, and is itself also held from turning movement relative to the feeler. at such times by sinking into the filling.

When, however, the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat and the holding or toothed portion of the feeler tip no longer restrains side slipping movement of the feeler, the feeler will partake of its side slipping movement and owing to the' eccentric connection of the feeler tip with the feeler, the feeler tip will be caused to turirupon its pivot-a1 mounting to present the holding or toothed portion of the feeler in substantial parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier or bobbin, as indicated in Fig. 5, the effect being that the, holding or toothed portion of the feeler tip will slip .or slide along the surfaces of the filling carrier or bobbin without injurious efiect thereto.

Thus when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle 011 a detecting beat, the toothed portion of the feeler tip will engage the filling in the normal position of the tip, which is determined by the weight of the tip in the present instance, and the tip itself will be held from swinging relatively to the feeler by the toothed portion of the tip sinking into the filling. \Vhen. however, the filling has become substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, as indicated in Fig. 5. and the fcelcr partakes of its side slipping movement, the fceler tip will be caused to swing in its pivotal connection with the feeler to present the toothed portion of the fceler tip in lengthwise relation to the surfaces of the filling carrier or bobbin.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom and in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a feeler tip pivotally mounted on the feeler for swinging movement in a substantially vertical plane and held from such swinging movement by engagement with the filling until substantial exhaustion thereof on a detecting beat and thereupon caused to swing in such vertical plane by movement of the feeler in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler mounted for movement in a direction longitudinally of themoves in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a feeler tip mounted on the feeler for movement about a substantially horizontal axis and having a filling engaging portion which sinks into the filling on a detecting beat and holds the feeler tip from such movement until the filling is substantially exhausted and thereupon frees the feeler tip to movement about its horizontal axis as the feeler is moved longitudinally of the shuttle.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler mounted for movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a feeler tip having a portion which normally engages the filling in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier on a detecting beat until the filling ,is substantially exhausted and movable into a position'substantially parallel to the axis of the filling carrier by movement of the feeler in a direction long1- tudinally of the shuttle.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted to enter the shuttle on a detecting beat in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle and for side slipping movement, a feeler tip having'a tooth normally supported to enga e the filling substantially transverse to tEe longitudinal axis of the filling carrier until the filling is substantiall exhausted on a detecting beat and movab e to a position sub stantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier as the feeler is given its side-swipe movement.

6. A feeler mechanism for looms having a 7 side-slipping feeler with a ti for eng agmg as 7. A feeler mechanism for looms having a the filling mounted on the fee er to swing in a substantially vertical plane. when the feeler side slips:

8. A side-slipping feeler having a toothed tip eccentrically mounted on the feeler to freelyswing in a vertical plane.

9. A side-slipping feeler having a toothed tip eccentrically pivoted on the feeler to freely swing on a horizontal axis.

10. A side-slipping feeler having a tip mounted eccentrically to swing about axls substantially at right angles to the longi-- tudinal axis of the shuttle and weighted to hold it in a normal position.

11. Ina feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a side-slipping feeler, a feeler tip having a toothed portion which normally extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier and engages the filling on a detecting beat, and a connection betweenthe feeler and feeler tip which permits the toothed portion of the tip to move into lengthwise relation to the surface of the filling carrier when the side-slip ping feeler moves longitudinally'of the v shuttle. r

12. A side slipping feeler havingits rear end flattened into a plain surface and a .feeler tip eccentrically pivoted to-the feeler to swing over the flattened plain surface of the feeler end. i

In testimony whereof, I have signed my I name to this specification.

ISAAC SNOW. 

